PLASTIC SHRINKAGE CRACKING OF NORMAL AND HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY

Concrete exposed to hot climatic conditions soon after casting is pron e to plastic shrinkage cracking. This cracking is more commonly observ ed in large surface area concretes like slabs, pavements, and retainin g walls. Controlling factors for shrinkage include mix proportions, va riations in temperature and relative humidity of the ambient environme nt, and surface wind. Plastic shrinkage cracking of normal and high-st rength concrete panels was investigated in this study. The panels were subjected to varying exposure conditions. It was observed that low-st rength concrete mixes containing a greater amount of mixing water yiel ded maximum rates of evaporation however their cracking behavior was m uch less severe than that of the the high-strength mixes. The plastic shrinkage cracking potential of high-strength concrete containing sili ca fume was greater under hot weather conditions.